WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 12-16-24

Norwich Police Department, in conjunction with New York State Parole concluded an investigation into the sale of narcotics, counterfeit currency and weapons. 28 year old Aaron Johnson of Norwich is charged with Possession of a Forged Instrument, Possession of a Narcotic Drug with intent to sell (Fentanyl), Possession of a Controlled Substance with intent to sell (Methamphetamine) and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. Police were able to locate quantities of Cocaine, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, plus counterfeit U.S. Currency. Johnson was held without bail, pending further court proceedings.

State Police, fire and emergency responders were dispatched to a 1-vehicle crash in the town of Andes. An investigation at the scene determined that a vehicle was traveling south on Fall Clove Road when it exited the roadway, striking a tree head-on. The operator, 43 year old Harland Dye of Delancey and the passenger, 34 year old Kate Cornelius-Schecter of Brooklyn, were transported to O’Connor Hospital, Dye was pronounced deceased at the hospital, Cornelius-Shecter was transported to Albany Medical Center for further treatment.

State Police arrested 52 year old John Standish of Owego for multiple counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Criminal Possession of an Assault Weapon, after Investigators discovered that Standish was manufacturing ghost guns and was in possession of firearms that are not NY SAFE ACT complaint, high-capacity magazines and silencers and that Standish does not possess a pistol permit and cannot lawfully possess a firearm. Investigators learned that Standish was using 3D printers to illegally make parts for the ghost guns. Standish was arraigned & faces future court action.

18 year old John Koscinski of Utica was found safe, he was reported missing from SUNY Cobleskill, the State Division of Criminal Justice reported that Koscinski had been missing since Wednesday.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 11-19-24

State Police responded at about 6:50 this morning to the report of a single vehicle crash on Broad Street in the village of Morris. An investigation at the scene determined that a 42-year-old male from Utica was operating an SYV when he crashed, he was pronounced deceased on scene. The roadway reopened shortly after 10:00 AM, the name of the deceased has not been released pending family notification.

The State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for October 2024. The State's unemployment rate held constant at 4.4% in October 2024. Locally, Chenango County had 2.8% unemployment, Delaware County 3.2% and Otsego County 3% in October.

The Clean Slate Act went into effect in New York State Saturday, which will automatically seal an individual’s New York State criminal records. The law states that Convictions under New York state law are eligible for sealing, Except for Sex crimes, Sexually violent offenses or class “A” felonies with the exception of drug-related convictions. The law does not apply to federal crimes or convictions in other states. For the record to be sealed, a specific period has to pass, 3 years for a misdemeanor & 8 years for a non”A” felony. The full law can be read at lawny.org.

State Police and Broome County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a fire alarm and disturbance at an apartment located at 2708 North Street in Endicott Saturday. 46 year old Michael Stephens of Endicott is accused of intentionally starting the fire & for menacing troopers with a knife before retreating back into his apartment. Stephens suffered from smoke inhalation, 1 Trooper climbed a ladder and removed Stephens from the scene, he was taken to Wilson Hospital where he was treated & released, he was then charged with 2nd degree Arson & Menacing a police officer, he was taken to the Broome County Correctional Facility for Arraignment.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 11-19-24

New York City officials announced that they have elevated to a drought warning and paused the $2 billion Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project upstate, the reservoirs are expected to be re-opened to allow for more water to reach New York City, meanwhile the Statewide burn ban continues as wildfires continue to burn at more than a dozen locations, due to low water levels & exceedingly dry conditions. Various warnings have been released to conserve water because of drought-level conditions throughout the Catskill region and beyond.

P.M. NEWS TUESDAY 10-15-24

State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on US-20 in the town of Plainfield. Police stated that a 56 year old woman from Sherburne veered into the opposing lane & sideswiped a tractor trailer driven by an unidentified man from Westerlo. The woman was ejected from the vehicle and was transported to a Utica Hospital with serious injuries the truck driver was not injured despite hitting a utility pole. The road was closed for several hours for the clean up & accident reconstruction efforts & for the repair of downed power lines. the investigation is continuing.

The Bainbridge Fire Department will hold their annual "Turkey Night" this Saturday Night at the Bainbridge Fire House, Bainbridge Firefighter Tom Akshar is organizing the event:

(Tom Akshar 10-15-24)

Akshar said that the proceeds benefit the Bainbridge Fire Department, some of the proceeds also get passed on to other area service organizations.

State Police at Sidney arrested 66 year old Vickie Wright of Unadilla for felony Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a motor vehicle as well as Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. A traffic stop was initiated on Main Street in Unadilla, Wright failed Field Sobriety Tests, she was issued appearance tickets to the Unadilla Town Court on November 12, and released to a sober third party.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 10-15-24

State Police arrested 39 year old Jason Katalinas of Sidney Center, for felony Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, felony Aggravated Unlicensed Operation, plus Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Obstructing Governmental Administration. A Trooper on I- 88 in Unadilla went to check on a vehicle parked on the shoulder with its front driver side off, the Trooper arrested Katalinas, and his passenger, 33 year old Shane Katalinas of Unadilla, for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. Both were processed and were issued appearance tickets for town of Unadilla court at a later date.

Delaware County Sheriff's deputies located a vehicle that was related to a 911 call and was being searched for by the Delhi Police Department. The driver, Charles Dieterich of Grand Gorge, was on parole at the time and he was found to be in possession of fentanyl, meth, buprenorphine, and cocaine. Dieterich was charged with 4 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, His passenger, Nevaeh Ballard of Roxbury, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, for possessing cocaine. Both were released on appearance tickets and will appear in court at a later time, Dieterich was further referred to State Parole for possible revocation hearings.

The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce will have their next meeting tomorrow morning. The meeting will begin at 7:30 am at the back of Bob's Diner.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 8-19-24

Sidney Police Department in a joint operation with NYS Parole, Otsego County Probation Department and State Police executed a search warrant at 22 Lincoln Ave in the Village of Sidney, which resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine, fentanyl and xylazine, Police arrested 41 year old Darcee Lewis of Sidney for Criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, & 43 year old Lloyd Hunt of Sidney, for Criminal possession of a controlled substance, Lewis was processed and transported to Delaware County Jail to await arraignment, Hunt was processed and released on an appearance ticket. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are expected.

Utica Police arrested a Connecticut couple following Friday morning's robbery at the Bank of Utica on Genesee Street in downtown Utica. Police arrested 60-year-old James Perkins and 42-year-old Christy Roper, both of Hamden, Connecticut. after the Friday Morning heist, a search warrant was issued and following the search, proceeds from the robbery along with a large quantity of narcotics was located. Perkins & Roper were charged with Robbery, & Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, The investigation is continuing.

Law Enforcement from all over attended the funeral for Onondaga County Sheriff's Lieutenant Michael Hoosock, was being held today in Syracuse, Lieutenant Hoosock was killed by gunfire along with Syracuse Police officer Michael Jensen on April 14th in Liverpool. Jensen's Funeral was held in his hometown of Rome on Saturday. The suspect accused of shooting the officers 33 year old Christopher Murphy was also killed.

Otsego County Sheriff's Office arrested 46 year old Jeremy Stimpson of Oneonta for Bail Jumping and on 2 Bench Warrants. Stimpson repeatedly failed to appear for court appearances for criminal cases in the Town of Otego and Town of Milford Courts, both courts issued bench warrants, Stimpson was located in the City of Oneonta by deputies and members of the Oneonta Police Department, he was processed and remanded to the Otsego County Correctional Facility on $1,500 cash, $1,500 credit card, or $10,500 bond bail recommendations.

The State Department of Labor is partnering with The Business Council, Empire State Development and the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals in an annual Business Survey to get feedback on the state of the workforce and the business community's current needs. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, it can be found at survey.alchemer.com.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 4-22-24

33 year old Boyd Fenton was sentenced to to 7-15 years in prison, for setting fire to the horse barn at Tioga Downs on November 9th 2023. Fenton was sentenced in Tioga County Court on Friday, 30 racehorses died in the fire and a trainer was hurt when they tried to rescue horses from the flames.

14 individuals were arrested on charges ranging from graffiti, stealing a law enforcement body camera and disorderly conduct to obstruction and resisting arrest at the 4th annual “Smoke Weed Outside the Binghamton Police Station” event in downtown Binghamton. On Saturday, members of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office assisted Binghamton Police Department in ensuring a safe public gathering on Hawley Street in front of Government Plaza. Some attendees began scrawling graffiti, blocking the flow of traffic on Hawley Street, Police began arresting participants for Obstructing Government Administration, disorderly conduct, petty larceny for stealing a law enforcement body camera and resisting arrest, all were processed and released on appearance tickets for the City of Binghamton Court.

Oneida County District Attorney's office & State Police announced that former Utica School Superintendent Bruce Karam was sentenced to pay $11,549 back to the Utica school district for the resources improperly diverted, he was ordered to serve 5 years probation and perform 250 hours of community service, he was also ordered to pay $150,000 by May 17, representing a reduction in his pension earnings from the date of his crime until his termination.

The U.S. Social Security officials reported a new scam where people posing as Social Security Agents ask unsuspecting residents for cash or gift cards & to meet them in person to hand off the cash. Social Security agents will never pick up money of gift cards from anyone, Officials state that you should stop talking to the scammer, & Call the police and file a police report & File a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Report Social Security-related scams to oig.ssa.gov & ftc.gov.

The Utica Police Department has disclosed the identities of the deceased individuals involved in the Kingston Road incident Tuesday night. The 2 deceased individuals were 22 year old Sara Doody and 26 year old Donte Green both of Utica. Utica Police said that Green shot Doody in the head, shot his grandfather in the leg & when Police responded, he fire shots at the Officer and fled into a nearby resident & shot himself to death with a rifle. The 2 year old child of Doody & Green was removed from the scene and was brought to family members, Green's Grandfather is in an area hospital recovering from gunshot wounds to his legs.

A.M. NEWS Friday 4-5-24

New York lawmakers passed another extension for the state's budget on Thursday to ensure state workers get paid and operations continue, as negotiations continue. The extension will push the deadline to pass a budget to April 8th, local Assemblyman Brian Miller comments:

(Brian Miller 4-5-24)

Last year, lawmakers passed the budget almost 1 month later than the April 1st deadline.